Just last week, President Barack Obama pledged a commitment for the United States to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees next year, up from 1,000 this past year. But refugee advocates and some members of Congress say taking in an additional 10,000 refugees does not go far enough toward addressing the crisis at hand.  The 10,000 refugees would come almost exclusively from the backlog of Syrians who have already applied for asylum, and not those individuals fleeing now.

Indeed such a commitment is fewer people than what some other countries have pledged to accept or have already accepted. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that Germany intends to take in up to 800,000 people who have fled war and persecution, and Canada has committed to 11,300, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Still, most European countries have not yet committed to absorb refugees, let alone at such impressive numbers.

A dialogue has also been triggered in the global Jewish community about what our organized reaction should be, particularly in light of our own history as refugees seeking asylum from anti-Semitism.  Certainly the treatment of migrants evokes, in many, memories of Europe’s darkest hour. 

Hundreds of refugees surrounded by armed police officers and razor-wire fences and imagery of asylum seekers in the Czech Republic led off a train where identification numbers were written on their hands, fueled with rising trends of nationalism appear to present Europe’s worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. 

To be sure, the migrant crisis is no genocide. Some refugees are Christians fleeing religion-based persecution, but many others are those simply caught in a terrible crossfire of civil war, starvation, chlorine gassing, and barrel bombing, who seek refuge. But it is our shared history of persecution and flight that compels us to act.

Tackling a crisis of this magnitude is going to require the world coming together to not only open borders to more asylum seekers, but also to increase humanitarian assistance to Syria and its neighbors in crisis and push for a political solution to the war. An emergency meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers will convene tomorrow to address a comprehensive and united EU response to the migration crisis. This is indeed the moment for the international community to gather and create solutions addressing both the immediate and long-term needs created by these challenges, including addressing housing, feeding and clothing the refugees, instituting a practical security screening process, while also establishing a division of responsibility for quota intake of refugees for the foreseeable future.

At this time of year, our global Jewish community is celebrating the high holidays.  Although a joyous occasion, Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection.  In this week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we should pause to reflect on this global crisis, and commit our resolution to tackling the humanitarian challenges.

As Hillel’s teaching reminds us, the Torah commands we should love the stranger in our midst. During this important window of reflection, for now and the future, we pray for a good year to come not only for ourselves and our families but also for all those fleeing persecution in search of safety and freedom, and resolve to work toward eradicating their suffering. 

for them.

Ross Topol, NECHAMA program coordinator, and a friend arrived in Central Texas from New Orleans, where he lives. During the day, he also was coordinating staff and volunteers working in Houston, where the individuals experienced displacement, heavy damage, and even deaths from the devastating rains. They anticipated six volunteers to join in and 35 showed up. Wimberley is home to Camp Young Judea, a popular Jewish camp in Texas, and while the camp took on significant water, no damage was reported. 

A major responsibility of the board of directors is to fundraise. Each building is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Boards fundraise to better the lives of the residents. This can take many forms, including, but certainly not limited to, maintaining a medical fund for the residents that will pay for things such as dental work or glasses that are not covered by Medicare and Medicaid, subsidizing homemakers for the residents or sponsoring events in the building. Since the boards are local, they are able to assess what is needed and fundraise for their specific building needs. Some hold annual fundraisers, and the local community and residents are invited to attend. Or they may do a direct mail fundraiser to the general community and solicit donations. 

As Passover approaches, families across the world are thinking about their family Seder—what dishes they will prepare and how they will set the table. If they happen to be the guest this year, they consider what wine they should select for their host. 

Recipe books are consulted, shopping lists are compiled, cleaning commences and the hunt is on for the food purchases needed for the many meals that require special ingredients for the week, choosing from supermarket aisles filled with the latest replacement for chametz from several kosher companies.

But, if you are poor and elderly, this is the time to think about your family that may have passed on—or have moved too far away to visit. You may be too far and sick to visit anyone as a guest. You may be living in a neighborhood that has changed and there is no supermarket filled with kosher specialty items for Passover nearby. Perhaps, you are living on a fixed income so the extra cost for the kosher-for-Passover product is just too much to add to your food budget. 

B’nai B’rith leaders saw this happening in the late 1960s and created a program called Project H.O.P.E. (Help Our People Everywhere) as a means to respond to this need. 

The program evolved over time, but continues to include the essentials of food for the holiday such as matzah, eggs, grape juice, canned goods, jam, cookies, oil, gefilte fish and horseradish for their Passover table. In some communities, there is fresh or cooked chicken included. 

This year, Project H.O.P.E. will deliver Passover food to close to 2,600 households in several communities in six states, such as: Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Michigan. 

Due to the dedication of the chairs of Project H.O.P.E., shopping bags of kosher–for-Passover food are delivered to the door of a senior citizen or community center that serves the surrounding area. 

Recipients are chosen in consultation with social service agencies that work with senior populations in need. The visit by a volunteer delivering food is as important as the food itself. 

But, before that bag goes out the door to its recipient, preparations for that year’s delivery must be made. Funds must be raised, food ordered, packing locations reserved and maps of delivery routes are created.

These volunteers are often comprised of the same families. They come back year after year and bring their own children to learn firsthand what it means to help others. Schools and youth groups benefit from the opportunity to use this program to learn about volunteerism. 

These volunteer chairs and all of the volunteers who participate each year have full time jobs and lives but make their work with Project H.O.P.E. a full time labor of love. Each year, they put the direction of the Passover Hagadah into practice . 

“Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need come and celebrate Passover.” 

Happy Passover to you and your family. 

Cuba has long been the understandably forbidden fruit of the American tourist. But the long isolated mystery of the Caribbean boasts more than just idyllic streetscapes and an enchanting mix of history, music and nature. For B’nai B’rith, Cuba presents a unique opportunity to fulfill our commitment to helping communities through “Tikkun Olam.”

While Cuba is busy making headlines—particularly for the thawing of relations with the U.S.—what you might not know is that the island maintains a surprising and vibrant Jewish life dating back centuries. At its peak, the community numbered 20,000, but today the passionate Jewish community counts maybe 1,000. 

The reality of life for Cuba’s Jews—and broader Cuban society—is the story failing to garner attention. Welcome to Cuba, home to miles of stunning white sand beaches, premium cigars, oak-aged rum, classic American cars from the 1950s—and where providing fundamental necessities proves a difficult challenge. 

Despite the fact that Cuba meets basic public health and education needs, there remain tremendous strains on resources and a lack of basic necessities including medicine, food and clothing. Even when resources may be available, many Cubans are priced out of the market. Cuba’s dual currency system severely complicates local purchasing power, and the average Cuban salary is the equivalent of only $20 U.S. dollars per month.

As B’nai B’rith International returns from its first mission of 2015, we reflect on the roots and impact of the Cuban Jewish Relief Project (CJRP). Indeed, B’nai B’rith International has a very large hand print in supporting the Cuba-Jewish community with longstanding ties to the island. The B’nai B’rith Maimonides Lodge even predates the 1959 revolution, having been founded in Havana in 1943.

Nearly 95 percent of Cuba’s Jewish population fled the revolution. Shortly following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cuban government issued a 1992 constitutional amendment that provided for non-discrimination based on religious belief. When B’nai B’rith began the CJRP in the early 1990s the Jewish community was just emerging from decades of struggle to preserve its traditions and culture. With the easing of restriction on religious practice, B’nai B’rith was one of the first humanitarian organizations on the ground to spearhead the bright revival of Jewish life in Cuba.

Since 1995, B’nai B’rith has been providing humanitarian relief and hands-on support to the Cuban-Jewish community, with an emphasis on delivering material aid, Judaica and other necessities while empowering community revitalization efforts. Through our missions, the CJRP affords B’nai B’rith members an opportunity to share in joint religious activities and discussion groups about religious practices and life on the island, all the while enjoying Cuba’s vibrant Caribbean culture. Mission participants have carried down thousands of pounds of religious material contributions to enhance the ability of the Jewish population in Cuba to practice their religion, as well as medicines and other basic necessities. Our first mission of 2015 brought more than 500 pounds of much needed effects.

With aid efforts ranging from the individual level to full community engagement, our legacy of humanitarian support focuses on three primary areas, with an aim toward self-sustainability: 

Preservation: Providing material aid and Judaica to meet the challenges of daily life for the Cuban Jewish population. 

Revitalization: Partnering with communities to support local initiatives. 

Sustainability: Connecting Cuban Jews to the greater Diaspora to strengthen global partnerships and empower future generations. 

This three-pronged approach enables us to focus our aid efforts where they are most needed, and with full cooperation and participation with our partners on the ground. It is precisely through our program’s deep roots in Cuba that we can ensure much-needed aid gets to the right places.

Renewed interest in the Caribbean island nation was spurred by President Barack Obama’s historic announcement of the “normalization” of relations between the United States and Cuba in December 2014.  Many question what lasting changes we can expect following President Obama’s announcement of an opening toward Cuba, particularly for the future of American-Jewish relations with the community on the island. While it is yet to be seen how the changes will unfold, many are quite optimistic. More American Jewish groups will certainly travel to Cuba, and with the easing of travel and commercial restrictions perhaps inject some life into Cuba’s dismal economy.

Despite high optimism, the needs on the ground for the tiny Jewish population remain unchanged. Cuba’s Jewish population still faces challenges on many fronts.  Today, B’nai B’rith continues our tradition of cooperation with the Cuban-Jewish community, contributing vital assistance to ensure that the needs of our brothers and sisters in Cuba are met.

Over the years B’nai B’rith has stitched many threads in the fabric of Jewish life in Cuba. The mystery, intrigue, and even more important sense of “Tikkun Olam” that has drawn American Jews to Cuba for decades has only grown more pronounced, and it is certain our vital work will continue.